Volbeat, HIM + All That Remains Pledge Allegiance to Rock at Massachusetts Gig

The Rock Allegiance Tour may have reached the final week of its 2013 run, but that didn’t stop the bands on the bill from laying it all out on the stage when they rolled into the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Massachusetts on Sept. 27.

With the one-two-three punch of All That Remains, HIM and Volbeat, the collection of bands on the tour offered a wide-range of subgenres of hard rock and metal. While the styles might seem to clash on paper, strangely enough, they worked well together, making for a full night of diverse live music.

Massachusetts based All That Remains hit the stage first, proving to be true hometown heroes. The crowd arrived early enough to support the local act and All That Remains slayed the stage for a solid 40 minutes. Frontman Philip Labonte commanded the crowd like a pro, running from one corner of the stage to the other summoning the crowd to roar while guitarist Oli Herbert shredded front and center.

With their new disc ‘Tears on Tape’ out in April, HIM were originally scheduled to hit the road in May in support of it. Unfortunately, due to frontman Ville Valo suffering from severe asthma and presumptive pneumonia, the Finnish rockers were sidelined, leaving fans wishing Valo a speedy recovery. Now, a few months later, HIM took the stage with Valo showing no signs of wear and tear whatsoever.

Their approach to their live ‘love metal’ was more emotive and atmospheric than any of the other bands, offering up a monster set that covered fan favorites like ‘Wings of a Butterfly,’ brand new tracks ‘Unleash the Red’ and ‘All Lips Go Blue’ and even a moody cover of Chris Isaak’s smash hit ‘Wicked Game.’ Before the night was through, HIM had churned through 16 songs and although Valo kept his interaction with the crowd to a minimum, he and the rest of the band definitely had no problem connecting.

Who is possibly having a better year than Volbeat? The headlining act closed out the night with enough energy and enthusiasm to fuel a small village, and who could blame them. With their new disc ‘Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies’ out earlier this year and former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano officially joining the band, Volbeat continue their upward trajectory.

Undoubtedly the loudest band on the bill, Volbeat took the stage to the most thunderous applause of the night, proving they had earned their rightful place as the evening’s headliners. Led by vocalist and guitarist Michael Poulsen, their set was chock full of tracks from ‘Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies’ and their release prior to that, 2013’s ‘Beyond Hell / Above Heaven’ They also played their Young the Giant cover ‘My Body’ in addition to the Dusty Springfield track ‘I Only Want to Be With You,’ proving that they are the only band in current memory who can spin a Dusty Springfield tune into a circle pit.

Playing with precision and clearly in tune with one another, the band has never sounded better and Caggiano has proved to be a huge asset to the band. Not only did they sound good, it was clear they were having a blast on stage, making for an infectious energy permeating throughout the joint.

As they have been doing in past dates, Volbeat closed out the night inviting some young fans up onstage toward the end of the show. It truly ended the night on a high note not only for those on stage with a memory of a lifetime but for everyone in the crowd who shared in the moment. Volbeat – you are doing it right! Check out some of our photos from the show below:

Photos From the 2013 Rock Allegiance Tour Featuring Volbeat, Him + All That Remains:

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